The Telebike
by Oliver Meysner

Tim had just been given a new bike. After hours of nagging at his parents (and a small amount of hypnosis) he had received an Apollo 27DSD-R – 27 Shimano gears, dual suspension and disc brakes. But, thinking back, the man in the shop had been very peculiar – Tim thought he'd better test it to see if it was okay. It was all going brilliantly until someone pulled out on him, missing him by inches. But, Tim mused, that couldn't have been caused by the shopkeeper – could it? Then he noticed the bell. It was very odd – not particularly bell-shaped, it looked more like something out of Star Wars. He gave it a flick and there was a noise like planets exploding, followed by a flash of light. As the street disappeared the words flashed in Tim's memory – 'All is not as it seems'...

Tim was still reeling in shock when he finally realised - he had teleported to the darkness of the Marmite storage room. The smell was overpowering, so he flicked the bell again. He was back in the street again. He had an idea. He thought 'London Eye' over and over in his head, flicked the bell (this time covering his ears and closing his eyes) and said “Hello!” uncomfortably to the young couple he had just disturbed in the pod. Tim then disappeared. “Must be the heat”, said the man to his wife.

The very next day, Tim had his bike in pieces on the garage floor. He checked everything from the springs to the sprockets to no avail. Then he remembered the Star Wars bell. That was spared the screwdriver – it had no screws – and instead received a hard blow from the hammer. It broke neatly in two. Panicking, he shoved it back together again and took off on his cycle. To test the bell he thought of WH Smiths. He got there in under a second – but to his horror, it wouldn't take him back! It was a long cycle home. He tested it again when he got back, this time only in the garden. His worst fears were confirmed – He had broken the bell. It would teleport to places but not back.

The day after, Tim was back on his bike and careful not to touch the bell. He received regular news updates on his iPod and had heard of a Mars rocket launch. “I wish I could go into space”, he thought. Then a van pulled out on him. He slammed on the brakes and knocked the bell off his bike. “Oh no”, he said as the grey tarmac turned to red dust...

As his back wheel kicked up Martian dust, Tim said out loud - “Oh no, what have I done?” He kept on cycling, mainly in shock. He didn't even notice a pair of green eyes poking out from behind a rock. As the rocket mentioned on the news touched down in front of him, he had an idea...

The lander would have to go back to Earth at some point. Tim climbed up the steps, peered inside the window and got such a shock that he hit the ground behind him. There was an astronaut inside! “How on...” the astronaut stammered. Tim shook his head. He wasn't in the mood for explanations. “Don't ask”, Tim smiled. “Just get me back home...please?”